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Jessica glanced up and down the street, but didn't see James yet. Her boyfriend had said her he'd pick her up from the shops, so where was he? The mare huffed, and crossed her arms. Though it hadn't started raining yet, the clouds above promised to pour before the end of the day, and she hoped he'd get to her before the clothes she'd just bought got ruined. Tapping a hoof, she contemplated calling him again, but there really wasn't any point. Either he was on his way, and wouldn't be answering, or he'd forgotten, and she'd yell at him later.

Or...

She perked up as she saw his car, a big estate, cruising down the street. Flicking her blonde mane out of her eyes, the roan horse picked up her bags and stepped forwards, ready to greet the wolf she'd been seeing for the past month. Except, of course, it wasn't him.

"Hi," said Alice, smiling sweetly. "James was busy, so he sent me to pick you up. I'll take you to his office, and then back home."

Jessica froze, the smile on her face slipping off. She stared at the face of the -the thing driving the car. James' ex. James' Personal Assistant. She'd agreed to become this machine controlled flesh, letting the computer in her head use her personality and knowledge to better serve her master. The idea sickened Jessica. How had James talked her into this? Why had the otter girl thought it was a good idea?

"I'll open the boot," said the personal assistant. "There's plenty of room."

With her bags safely stowed away, the mare slumped into the back seat of the car, her pretty face screwed up into a scowl. The car was large enough or her to stretch out, and she glared at the back of the otter's head. "Hey," she called. "Hey, metalhead!"

The otter glanced over her shoulder. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, can you call James? I just want to have a word."

"I'm afraid I can't." Her tone was a little patronising. "James has asked not to be disturbed unless it's an emergency. We'll be there in a minute, anyway."

Jessica sighed theatrically, and rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Opening her purse, she pulled out a mirror and lipstick to freshen up. At least the time wouldn't be wasted-

The car bounced suddenly.

Slowly, Jessica touched a finger to the line of red streaking up her cheek. "What," she spat, "was that?"

The otter null's voice was chirpy and cheerful. "Sorry! There's a pothole across half the road. I couldn't avoid it!"

"You couldn't have warned me? You had to wait until I had lipstick going on? That was on purpose!"

There was a click, and the PA swung her whole chair around to face the back seat of the car. Jessica whinnied in panic. "ROAD!" she screamed. "WATCH THE ROAD!"

"What? Oh, I am - I'm hooked into the car's lidar." The screen on its chest lit up, showing the road ahead - from low down, about the height of the car's grill. "I don't need these eyeballs to keep an eye out."

Jessica tensed up even more,if that was possible. "Then how come you missed that FUCKING POTHOLE?"

The otter didn't even twitch at the flecks of spit that flew towards her. "It was hidden. Under a puddle."

The screen flicked up an image of a puddle. As it drew closer to the view, it disappeared under the camera, which cut to a side camera. The water splashed up, revealing the deep crack in the road. It had been completely invisible, and she certainly wouldn't have seen it.

"Hmph." She crossed her arms and leant back. "Doesn't change that I've got lipstick all over my face."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said the otter. "Perhaps I can help by giving you a better view."

The screen changed again, now showing Jessica herself. "You know, for a bigger mirror than that."

The horse sighed and rolled her eyes. She opened her purse and pulled out a pack of tissues, ready to wipe her face, but as soon as she looked at the screen on the personal assistants' chest, a wave of nausea passed over her. Something was horribly wrong about the image she was being shown - she knew what her face looked like, and that was alien - the fucking PA was editing the image or something -

"What's wrong?" The otter's face looked concerned. "Oh! I think I know."

The image flipped horizontally, so left as right and right was left. And now, when she lifted her right hand, the image moved its left, just like a mirror. "There's some research about this, why your photos always look different to mirrors. It's because it's flipped, and trying to use a non-flipped image when you're used to mirrors can really throw you. You can tell something's wrong, you just can't tell straight away."

Jessica flicked her eyes up to the otter, then back down. Was that true? When she dabbed at the smear of lipstick on her cheek, it did look more natural. But shouldn't the Personal Assistant have known all that before even starting? Weren't they supposed to predict everything, and not let that kind of bullshit happen?

Unless, of course, she was doing it deliberately.

She shouldn't be doing that. No.

But when the otter looked at her, there was that gleam in her eye. And that shit eating grin.

Jessica pursed her lips together, and started into the screen.

***

The doors of the office building opened automatically in front of the otter. Jessica followed close on her heels, the glass sliding closed on her heels. The building responded to the technology implanted in the PA, summoning an elevator that yawned open. The otter stood discreetly at the back, staring blankly at the doors as Jessica turned her back, standing in the centre of the elevator car.

The floor shook a little as it began to rise. Jessica wondered for a second if she should say this, but then a hot pulse of anger drove the words from her. "I know what you're doing."

The PA cocked her head a little. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"You are being a little fucking bitch because you got replaced!" The mare spun around and stuck a finger in the otter's face, who did not flinch. "Your stupid ass let him fuck up your body and mind, and now you're jealous that I'm a real person who gets to fuck you old boyfriend, and your just an executive toy!"

She jabbed the PA's screen. "This was stupid fault! You don't deserve him, you're too fucking stupid! You couldn't see what he had planned for you, could you? You never knew him, not like I do, and you have no right to take the piss like this! You're worth nothing to him! You're just replaceable equipment!"

The otter waited for a time, until Jessica felt the tension in the air change. She pulled her finger back, and the otter spoke. "I'd say different. I know everything about him, from the way he talks to his boss to the kind of porn he likes. I've learned to predict is every desire; that's was I was made to do. I can even write half his emails in exactly the tone he used. And when you call him?"

Something clicked in her throat, and the next words she spoke were in James' low, masculine tones, with none of the machine-like quality her normal PA voice had. "Well, I'm sure he got the message."

Jessica slipped back, falling against the door. No-one but James knew she was here. No-one but his voice over the phone. No-one but a voice, passing through a machine that hated her for stealing it boyfriend.

The otter walked to the centre of the elevator car. Pressing her back against the door, the mare trembled a little. "I exist to serve my owner's every need," said the PA. "I don't know why that scares you. It shouldn't. He wants you, after all. There's one thing you can do for him that I can't."

The otter leant in close. "You can get fucked."

The door dinged open, and Jessica stumbled back. She would have fallen, except her hand whipped out and grabbed the otters' shoulder. The PA's big smile burned into her as she got her hooves back under her. Once she saw that the otter wasn't moving, not an inch, the cold fear in her began to turn to anger. "There's something wrong with you," she spat. "When they crammed a computer in your head, they fucked up. You shouldn't be trying to get rise out of me, should you? This is actually you, isn't it? You really hate me, and you've got some excuse in your twisted little mind that you're serving your master, and it's all complete shit, because you're just a broken toy."

She spun and headed down the corridor to where she knew James' office was. Her hooves clicked against the floor, before being joined by the soft pads of the otter's paws. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she couldn't work out why - was she really afraid of that machine? Or just angry? Or, or what?

James had a stack of papers by his computer, glancing between the two. When his girlfriend strode in, the wolf pushed them aside and smiled up at her. "Jessica! I was wondering how long you would be-"

She cut him off by leaping into his lap and wrapping her arms around him. She guided his lips to hers, kissing him deeply and passionately, flicking her eyes over to see his Personal Assistant place itself in a corner, staring blankly into the air.

He broke off the kiss. "Well, that's a nice way to say 'Hello'!"

He could feel her heartbeat through her arms, as she took a breath. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

Jessica shook her head, mane tailing behind it. "No... everything's fine. Just, excited to see you."

James smiled. "I'll be finished in a minute. I just need to get a little paperwork done. And use, you know..."

He tilted his head towards the otter.

Jessica pulled back. "Oh... okay. I'll... go use the bathroom."

When she was out of earshot, James turn to his assistant. "How did it go?"

"I think it went well. She shows a significant increase in demonstrative actions after I have needled her. I take it you wish me to continue?"

"Yes, and I'll keep on acting oblivious."

Grinning, he turned back to his papers, and the otter went back to starting into the air.